How To Choose The Right Socks For The Job

By Instash

Published 09:59 am

Choose The Right Socks For The Job

To some, choosing the right socks each day might seem a little trivial. However, this tedious necessity buy can go a long way when it comes to keeping your feet healthy and comfortable. If you don’t choose the right socks for the job and find yourself wearing the same socks to work as you do for those weekend hikes, it will likely lead to problems with your feet. As with most of life’s little challenges, prevention is better than cure. So, if you’d like to prevent blisters, sore feet and discomforts you go about daily life or take on your favorite hobby, you’ll be glad to know were detailing how different types of socks can meet your needs. Just stick with us on this one, you’ll thank us in the long run, we promise!

We get it, choosing socks certainly isn’t the most exciting thing in the world. That’s why we’re going to keep it simple and break this thing down into four key considerations: material, purpose, fit and look. From work socks to dress socks and everything in between, we’re covering absolutely everything you need to know about socks here.

Material

The primary purpose of socks is to keep your feet comfortable while you’re wearing shoes. However, if you choose the wrong material, your feet will likely be uncomfortable and unprotected. With around 250,000 sweat glands in our feet, it’s no surprise that they can get sweaty pretty quickly. Because of this, the wrong fabric can bring you a whole lot of discomfort. For example, if your socks absorb the moisture from your feet rather than wicking it away, it could lead to blisters and chafing.

While you might consider cotton breathable and natural fabric, it’s actually not the best material for socks. Cotton soaks are sure to lead to damp feet and discomfort if you’re working up a sweat. So, when it comes to hiking socks, running socks and plantar fasciitis socks, you should always avoid cotton.

Instead, depending on the intended purpose, synthetic fabrics such as acrylic or nylon are reliable options, with bamboo or merino wool also making good choices for those who prefer natural fabrics. When choosing the material you’ll need, it’s essential that you consider how warm you need to be.

Purpose

As mentioned briefly above, the purpose is a crucial consideration when you’re shopping around for socks. Generally, if you’re wearing socks for work or casual outings, expensive cotton socks will do the job. Whereas, if you’re planning a gym session or a five-mile run, you’ll need socks crafted from a synthetic fabric.

Beyond material, depending on the activities you plan on doing, you might require additional padding or thickness. For example, athletic socks come in many forms, you wouldn’t wear the same socks for a hike as you would for a day on the slopes. So, if you’re looking for comfortable socks no matter what you’re doing, it’s important to give the intended purpose a thought.

Fit

We wouldn’t be surprised if you’re amongst the many who have never given the fit of their socks a second thought. With that said, it is an important consideration, both only will your socks look better, but they’ll feel better.

As a general rule of thumb, your sock should fit snug against your feet, without any additional fabric to cause unwanted friction. It’s also essential that they’re not too tight, causing a strain on your toes.

Once you’ve found socks that fit correctly, it’s also important to consider how they fit with your shoes. If you have a pair of shoes that are already a little snug, a thicker sock will only make that worse.

Look

Our final consideration is how you want your socks to look. While you might not think the appearance of your socks is important, they can indeed make or break an outfit. You wouldn’t rock up to the office in a suit and ruin your look with a pair the wrong socks, would you?

When you’re choosing socks for activities, you should most definitely favor functionality over fashion. However, if you’re selecting socks for casual purposes, the way they look is an important consideration. When it comes down to choosing the best-looking socks, personal preference plays a big part.

With that said, here are a few golden rules you should follow when it comes to your socks:

If you want the comfort of socks, but you don’t want people to see them, choose no show socks.

If you work in a professional environment, always match your socks to the color of your trousers.

If you’re wearing footwear such as work boots that sit at your ankle or higher, opt for longer socks for the added comfort you need.

Now that we’ve covered the essentials, you can go out and buy the right socks for the job. No more chaffing, blisters or discomfort. Just good-looking, comfortable and fit for purpose socks!